Hello all!  I am new to the site and look forward to meeting you and discussing ideas.  I am excited to be on the boards, and was wondering if anyone else here feels the way I do.  I started my own business more as a hobby, creating decorative pieces out of standard household items.  I was a bit surprised when the idea took off, and these days it seems to have a life of its own.  Fairs and festivals keep me pretty busy, and I have found that somehow the economy has worked in my favor.  I just wanted to share something of my story and an observation I have made with you and see if anyone else here feels the way that I do.

I am not in search of sympathy, as we are doing quite well these days, but when the economy changed, my husband, who had worked for a large corporation for nearly two decades was suddenly laid off.  While my first instinct was to give up on my “hobby business” until things got better, he encouraged me to keep it up, knowing that it really is what makes me happy.

I have been quite surprised in the past year and a half or so, as even while many large companies are going out of business and experiencing layoffs, small independent businesses like mine seem to truly be thriving.  There is a sort of revolution occuring among independent businesses, at least from my experience.  Small companies and individuals are beginning to experience a return to the forefront of business, and people are starting to remember that this is the model that our country began with.  Even when corporations are willing to look you in the eye while stabbing you in the back, independent business owners like us are always willing to work hard to keep customers happy, and people are starting to remember this again.

I just have to say that it truly makes me smile when I attend a craft fair and see a sea of vendors and a large crowd waiting to plunder the wares on offer.  I see people who are forming friendships and business relationships all at once, and it makes me smile to see the small, independent business getting the attention it has long deserved.  Independent business success stories were once becoming almost an urban legend, swallowed up by corporations as soon as they experienced success.  There has been much negativity that has come from the economy, but if you need a chance to remember that everything bad also brings good things as well, take the time to really look around next time you are at an arts and crafts show, and realize how far small businesses have come in the last couple of years.

Hi craftygirl!

I totally agree, this is a great positive post, and I couldn’t be happier to see that I am not alone in this though process.
I’m divorced, so when the economy finally decided to bite the mighty, greedy corporations in the rump, I was pretty much left to my own devices, local craft fairs and festivals, for sorting out the kids’ school clothes and meals.
Anyhow, I know that when I started paying attention to the billions of dollars that “We, The People” were giving to the banks who had spent the past twenty-five years ripping us off and rolling around in huge kick-backs, perks, and salaries, I was astonishingly hurt and overwhelmed at what the country had become.

That was when I realized where the problem really lies. Years ago, “We The People” used to choose who we wanted to do our business with, based on trust, services, relationships, and what worked best for us. That’s how America was built, that’s how We decided who the best company was for the job.
Instead of allowing these hugely irresponsible and selfish companies to fall down and go broke, as is the American way, we decided to pay them to keep using and abusing us. Great Move!

We, the independent, very small, and honestly hard working fair event and festival vendors are really the lifeblood of what the country used to be, and what it wants to be again. We let the public and our peers tell us what works and what doesn’t. And that is what real relationships and services are all about.

We Rock!

Hi All!
I really love what I have read in the previous two posts. I too smile when I am setting up my little booth of wares during any craft festivals and watch all of the customers pouring in looking for unique offerings and reasonable prices. My work began with an idea about recycling in a new and innovative way. I had seen people doing all kinds of things with all kinds of “stuff”, but I wanted my work to become an everyday object to its owner. It all came to me when I was sorting out a cupboard and a large clump of very undesirable shopping bags tumbled to the floor. I decided to cut them into loops, make a ball of “twine” by threading them together, and then crochet them into small duffel bags for shopping. I couldn’t believe the response I have received at craft fairs. Even though I give away the pattern with each sale people still come back for more!

What this has demonstrated to me is that anyone can find their own little business niche (though I think that word has been used to death) and earn an income from it if they are reasonable, realistic and honest. In this economy more and more people are recognizing and rejecting greed on all kinds of levels, and I think this is the reason that the arts and crafts shows are really taking off. They are places where honest vendors are offering items (both precious and not so precious) at totally affordable prices.

The unity between many artisans is also something to see. We are so often encouraging one another and pointing shoppers in the direction of neighboring craft vendors who have what they might want that it is easy to forget we are “competing” for their attention. I think small and independent businesses, particularly those showcased in things like local craft fairs and arts festivals, are the way to go because massive corporations banging out shoddy items or asking unbelievable prices have really destroyed people’s faith. It is much easier to look across a counter or table at the business owner and know you are being dealt with honestly.

This is an interesting discussion.  I have always felt more comfortable selling arts and crafts one-to-one than retailing for another company.  To me, handmade crafts are beautiful and personal works of arts.  They are lovingly made and formed by one’s own hands.  I have always felt that in my own works (I make Italian ceramic art) and the works of my associates, we bring passion to each and every piece that is simply not there in a manufactured product.

As for why these crafts are continuing to sell, this is no big mystery.  My father explained this to me a long time ago, back when he sold crafts.  When people buy our works they know they are safe.  They know these crafts are not overpriced by a corporation.  Usually, our pieces are more environmentally safe than anything shoppers will find in a mall. 

Buyers associate this new piece with their experience traveling to a new place or visiting the festival.  They feel positive energy when they touch it.  They buy not because they can, but because they want to share an experience.  They can also be confident that the money they gave will be going to the artisan’s own pocket, not to a corporation that may be doing questionable things with their money.

Also, I believe there is more trust one on one, than in a great big store.  An artisan stands by his or her products, because it is the work of his own hands, his child.  A person in a mall doesn’t believe in what he or she sells.  He or she is following store policy, selling the work of someone else.  Not everybody thinks much about these little things, but they are important.

Grazie!

I agree with you all.  Both of my grandparents were really big into arts and crafts.  My mom’s mom had a ceramic shop and every year they would have a booth at the Tulsa State Fair.  I think they were there to socialize just as much as they were to sell what they made.  They also had a ceramic shop in a little town called Sperry, Oklahoma and would teach their craft to other people as well.  We loved to just go to the fair and the craft shows and just hang out.  It’s interesting looking back on it now, but all of those booths at the fair are really what make the Tulsa State Fair what it is and a whole lot of those people are local artisans.  Another favorite place to go was Mayfest.  You find more fine art there than you do hobby type crafts.  A lot of those people are invited and travel from all over the place.  You can find all sorts of stuff there.  One of the coolest things I found one year was earrings made from braided electrical wire - I might still have them!

My other grandmother made ceramic dolls and other ceramic items as well.  She sold her stuff more locally in small shops.  There’s not a whole lot of craft fairs going on where she lived and Tulsa was a pretty good drive, but it was the same sort of thing.  Everyone likes to help everyone else in these little towns and I think that’s really a big part of how artisans and small businesses are keeping the economy going.  We are a tight knit group of people and we stick together. 

I love this site and I found this article you guys might be interested in as well.  http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/articles/view/independent-artisans-and-small-business-leading-the-new-american-revolution/

Hi all,

I really enjoyed the posts here and feel the same way. The American spirit has always been one of entrepreneurship; the small business has remained the backbone of the economy, even though the mega-corporations do everything they can to make folks forget about the “mom and pop” stores. People are coming back around for a number of reasons. Quite a few prefer to do business with us local craftspeople because they feel we’re more honest. Others find they prefer a handcrafted item to one that’s mass produced in some other country.

Of course, a lot of folks are just plain mad - and I don’t blame them. Nothing like a couple of billion dollars in bailouts to make you realize that those corporations are nothing but greedy takers that rarely do anything for the “little guy”. Anyway, enough of the ranting from me, back to happier things!

I truly find the recent resurgence of interest refreshing - I attend fairs and festivals to sell my handmade candles and soaps, and have been quite surprised by the number of people attending. In fact, even though it’s only August, I’ve gotten more than an earful from friends and colleagues fervently anticipating the fall festivals and small town fairs that dot the landscape once the leaves start to turn! (though here in the juxtaposition of Alabama, Georgia and Florida, we don’t get much “change”, lol)

I really feel that this fall will be another turning point, at least in my business and, I hope, in all of yours. As a note of encouragement, I found this link to an article that helps point out the growing success of vendors at arts and crafts fairs: http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/articles/view/texas-crafters-making-a-profit/174 - read and enjoy!

FairCrafterTim

Wow, such a lot of responses, and each one saying exactly how I feel.  It is so great to chat with more people who feel the way that I do.  I especially like reading that I am not the only one who has noticed the gradual shift back to individual sellers rather than corporations.  I think sometimes that it makes people treasure items more, knowing that they have shaken the very hands that crafted them.  I know for me, buying a piece of art directly from the artist makes it look much more appealing to me than buying a framed print at the store.  And really, that is what each of us produce, art.  Even concession vendors.  We take our items, create them entirely by hand, in the hopes that they will make someone happy.

Somewhere along the line, as was pointed out here, we let the corporations take us all away from craft shows, and we (a general we, i.e. we the people) gravitated towards chain stores and corporate places that sell us trivial things while convincing us that we are getting excellent deals.  I am not sure what really counts as the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it almost seems like overnight craft fairs went back from being niche festivals for hippies and older people (at least where I live) to being a gathering place for all sorts of people looking to buy items that were lovingly made and skillfully crafted. 

Our wares may not be the eighty eight cent bargains that large box stores sell, but they are affordable, safe, and reliable.  More than that, they offer quality and hold up as a sign of the spirit of the American independent business owner.  So many times, people say things to the effect of, “I am so glad that arts and crafts shows are coming back to our area”.  I just smile and agree, even though I know that we have always been here, and that it is truly the public that is finally coming back to us.

Hi CraftyLady1962,

I’ve got to agree with your last point - we’ve been here all along and the American public is finally coming back to us. I know I mentioned it before, but I find the shift in buying habits fascinating, and I truly hope that they remain with us when the economy inevitably heads back north. I realize that a greater inflow of cash will certainly take some consumers back to the big chain stores, but I really hope that a lot of them remember the lesson of the recession and keep visiting us in our arts and crafts fairs.

I came across another interesting article highlighting how local arts and crafts festivals have impacted the economy, as a whole. It’s a bit dense in the formatting department, but well worth the read:

http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/articles/view/Fairs-and-Festivals-Boost-Economy/446

The last line in the article, about the fairs and festivals bringing life back to the neighborhoods and town squares really strikes a chord with me. Nothing moves my heart more than seeing a vibrant town square, alive with local shops and bustling with happy people, shopping or just sitting and enjoying the view. Conversely, there’s nothing quite as sad and depressing as a town square with empty, vacant shop windows and no people to be seen (in my opinion, at any rate). Hopefully, the impact of the recession, combined with the increased interest in local fairs will breathe some vibrancy and life into towns all over the country!

FairCrafterTim

Wow, it is so nice to see so many people sharing opinions and insight into our hobbies/careers.  It is indeed good to see the public returning to the arts and crafts festivals and I agree that it is funny that they think that it is we who disappeared.  It has been so hard for a while now, for many vendors and certainly for the buying public, with jobs and wages declining.  I share the hope that as the economy bounces back we don’t seem to disappear again.

I think that the economic slump that brought people back to us reminded them of how many unique products there really are, and how many things can’t be found at traditional box stores.  I also feel like enough people are angry with corporations finally that our increase might stick around.  There will certainly be people that pass up arts and crafts shows for a day of shopping at a discount store, but I think a lot of new customers and old alike might be here to stay.

I have enjoyed the insight of everyone here, and I like that everyone is quick to offer assistance and opinions.  I hope that the independent business revolution continues for quite some time, and I am sure glad it has arrived, even though it took some pretty dire circumstances for many people to realize how beneficial crafts festivals and small businesses really are.

Hi, CraftyLady1962

I think part of the reason that arts and crafts fairs are still doing well is because the hardest hit sectors of the economy are those where consumption was the main business. Craft vendors sell things that are unique, creative and personal and I think that, aside from the general downturn, people may have been missing that in the general course of their lives. After all, there’s always been a brisk business in trading antiques and one of their main selling points has always been their unique style. The same can be said for those items found at craft shows!

I’m glad there are still people who appreciate items that aren’t mass-produced. In fact, maybe the silver lining in all of this has been that it’s enabled those individuals who wanted to do something creative on their own to make money just that opportunity.

Nostalgia aside, local craft shows offer much more bang for the buck than to malls or other large shopping establishments. Craft vendors seem to be able to turn a profit while still charging prices which are comparatively very low to those seen in most retail establishments. This sort of small economics is a nice thing to see again and I have no doubt that the type of item purchased at these fairs will be far more valued in the future than are those items people purchased at the local mall or retail shopping development.